Simplified therapeutic guidelines: the main tool of antimicrobial stewardship programs associated with optimal antibiotic therapy.

Hospitals regularly seek to upgrade their antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). Our aim was to evaluate the impact of simplified therapeutic guidelines (STGs) compared to various established tools for ASP on the rate of optimal antibiotic therapy (OAT) and antibiotic consumption. Audits of antibiotic prescriptions were carried out over a 24-month period. Feedback information led to STGs (e.g., ≤ 15 drugs). The impact of STGs was based on the rate of OAT, defined as a diagnosis of the infectious disease in the patient's medical records associated with the corresponding therapy indicated in the STGs or in other guidelines. STGs were compared to five other means of ASP: internal or national guidelines, audit, information regarding antibiotic consumption and bacterial resistance, and restricted access to targeted antibiotics. Antibiotic consumption was measured in defined daily doses/1000 days of hospital stay, focusing on third-generation cephalosporins (TGC) and fluoroquinolones (FQ). Twenty-six hospitals were audited from April 2017 to June 2019. A total of 1,028 antibiotic prescriptions were analyzed, including 204 (20%) after STG implementation in seven hospitals. In multivariate analysis, OAT (n = 176, 17%) was associated with STGs, AOR 2.21 [1.51-3.22], and with three tools in place, 1.75 [1.24-2.48]. The relative variations of consumption of TGC and FQ for hospitals with or without STGs were - 13.1 vs. + 9.4% and - 18.5 vs. - 2.7%, respectively, from 2018 to 2019. STGs were more likely than other ASP tools to improve the rate of OAT and to reduce the consumption of antibiotics.

Risk Factors for Unnecessary Antibiotic Therapy: A Major Role for Clinical Management.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of antimicrobial use places an emphasis on therapeutic aspects of infected patients. Our aim was to determine the risk factors for unnecessary antibiotic therapy (UAT). METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter study evaluating all curative antibiotic therapies prescribed over 2 consecutive days through the same electronic medical records. Each item that could participate in these prescriptions was collected from the computerized file (reason for hospitalization, comorbid conditions, suspected or definitive diagnosis of infection, microbial analyses). UAT was defined as the recognition of noninfectious sydromes (NIS), nonbacterial infections, use of redundant antimicrobials, and continuation of empirical broad-spectrum antimicrobials. RESULTS: Four hundred fifty-three antibiotic therapies were analyzed at 17 institutions. An infectious disease was the reason for hospitalization in 201 cases (44%). An unspecified diagnosis of infection was observed in 104 cases (23%). Microbial samples were taken in 296 cases (65%), allowing isolation of a pathogen in 156 cases (53%). Unspecified diagnosis was associated with the absence of a microbial sample compared to patients with a diagnosis: (56/104 [54%] vs 240/349 [69%]; P = .005). A total of 158 NIS were observed (35%). UAT was observed in 169 cases (37%), due to NIS in 106 cases. In multivariate analysis, the modifiable risk factors for UAT were unspecified diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-3.20) and absence of a blood culture (AOR, 5.26; 95% CI, 2.56-10.00). CONCLUSIONS: UAT is associated with an unspecified diagnosis and the absence of microbial testing. Antimicrobial stewardship programs should focus on diagnostic difficulties and microbial testing, the latter facilitating antibiotic reassessment and therapeutic interruption.

Bacteraemia in emergency departments: effective antibiotic reassessment is associated with a better outcome.

Patients with bacteraemia constitute an useful population for an audit of antibiotic treatments. Empirical antibiotic therapy (EAT) and its reassessment must take into account clinical data and microbiological results. Our aim was to determine the impact of these sequential steps of the therapy on survival. This was a retrospective multicentre study which included patients admitted to emergency departments (ED) for whom blood cultures were positive over a 4-month period. Microbial results were compiled from the database of the laboratories. The relevant information was extracted from the computerized patient's chart. An efficient EAT was based on antibiotic susceptibility of the bacteria. An effective antibiotic reassessment (AR) was defined as any modification of the EAT. Unfavorable outcome was defined as death of the patient during in-hospital care. Three hospitals and two clinics took part in this study, 169 patients with bacteraemia being included. The diagnosis in ED was undetermined in 21 cases (12%), 35 patients (21%) required intensive care, and 23 died (14%). One hundred and thirty-six patients (80%) received an EAT, the latter being efficient in 107 cases (63%). An effective AR was performed in 116 cases (69%). In multivariate analysis, risks factors for death were: ongoing cancer AOR (adjusted odds ratio) 3.34, undetermined diagnosis in ED: AOR 9.34 and severe sepsis or shock: AOR 6.98. Effective AR was a protective factor: AOR 0.28 [0.09-0.81]. One third of bacteraemic patients in ED did not benefit from AR. Improvement of antimicrobial stewardship should be associated with a higher rate of survival.